How to Use Your Phone to Help You See Like a Designer

It's always amazing to me what a little shift in perspective can do for your space. Seeing your home through a fresh set of eyes — like the moment you come home from a long vacation, or when you invite over somebody that you're dying to impress — can really help you hone in on what you love about your space, and what really needs to change.

While I can't send you on a week-long vacay or hook you up a date to binge-watch The Crown with the literal Queen of England, I can offer you a small exercise that'll give you a refreshing view of the space you think you know so well.

Today's Assignment:

Take some pictures of your home, and use them to help you pick one thing from your list of projects to finish first.

First, grab your phone and, starting at the front door, do a little walkthrough of your space, taking a few photos in each room as you go. You'll want to capture each room through a few different angles, getting both wide shots of rooms as well as some tighter shots of bookshelves, tabletops or any areas you think should be styled. If you feel as though you want to pick up drinking glasses from the coffee table, for instance, or move things out of the way, feel free. But for the most part, these should be quick, candid photos of your home how it exists today. (You can delete them, if you want, when you're done with today's task.)

When you've finished your tour, sit down with your camera roll and look at the pictures you took. Which areas stand out as the most problematic ones? What rooms or zones look imbalanced in photos? What areas need thinning out and which need something — art, color, light — added?

Now that you spent a little time meditatively musing about your vision for what your home can (and will!) be, it's the perfect time for you to choose a project that you really want to get done this month.

A project that can be completed this month, in a few hours. Remember, you'll be very busy with the rest of your Cure assignments, so don't get overly ambitious in your choice — stay practical on the time commitment required.

A project that will make a noticeable difference in either how you use your home (organizing, flow), how something works (repairs) or how things look (decluttering, cleaning, decorating).

Once you know what it is, highlight it or circle it and make a commitment to getting it done.

Remember that your list is your master roadmap to many worthwhile projects you'll do for your home in the coming year — right now you just need to choose one part to bite off and chew. Choose wisely which single project (small is ok!) will be good to start with. You'll be plenty busy doing the basics this month, so this is a bonus.

You can work on your chosen project anytime, of course. But we've built in time to the Cure specifically for you to spend on this task, so don't worry about getting it done immediately. If you'll need special materials or tools that you don't have, consider taking the time to order them or shop for them.

Then, tell us exactly what single project you've decided to tackle in the comments below. It's a good idea to make a commitment to the whole group on what your goal project is — the more of us that participate fully, the more strength we all have to really get the work done.